Favourites India have maintained a clean slate and will certainly fancy their chances against a below-par but unpredictable South Korea in the semi-finals of the Asian Champions Trophy hockey on Monday.
India, the Paris Olympics bronze-medallists, have been in rollicking form in the tournament so far, registering five wins out of all five league matches. The Harmanpreet Singh-led side started their campaign with a 3-0 win over hosts China and then trounced Japan and Malaysia 5-1 and 8-1, respectively.
India then beat Korea 3-1 before eking out a narrow 2-1 win over arch-rivals Pakistan. It has been a commanding performance from the Indians as they excelled in every department, be it the forward line, midfield or defence.
The most promising part of India’s performance in the league stages has been the form of the strikers. Scoring field goals was a major concern in Paris, but in this competition, the young strike force comprising Sukhjeet Singh, Uttam Singh, Gurjot Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal and others have exceeded expectations.
Young midfielder Raj Kumar Pal, too, has shone bright, scoring some fine field goals.
Besides, veteran Manpreet Singh, vice-captain Vivek Sagar Prasad and Nilakanta Sharma have excelled in the midfield.
The Indian defence too has performed stoutly, conceding just four goals with goalkeepers Krishan Bahadur Pathak and Suraj Karkera not letting the team feel the void left by the retirement of the talismanic PR Sreejesh.
Harmanpreet, one of the best drag-flickers in the world currently, has led from the front and has continued his good form of Paris, converting as many as five penalty corners. When India struggled for field goals, Harmanpreet stood up with his penalty-corner conversions.
Harmanpreet also has an able understudy in young Jugraj Singh, who is right now the fastest drag-flicker in the world. But a knockout game is a new beginning for any side, so the Indians can ill afford to take Korea lightly as they can spring a surprise on their day, evidence of which was their last-gasp equaliser to draw 3-3 against Malaysia and keep their semi-final hopes alive.
The Indian defence will also have to be cautious about not conceding too many penalty corners, as in the form of Jihun Yang — the tournament’s leading scorer with seven goals — Korea possess a potent drag-flicker.
In the other semifinal of the day, Pakistan will take on hosts China. The final is scheduled for Tuesday.
Harmanpreet, too, warned his teammates against taking Korea lightly despite his side’s impressive run in this tournament. “We came into this tournament with very little rest or preparations. Despite that, I am happy with how the team has done to progress into the semi-final stage. Korea are a tough team. They defend well and can counterattack fast and skillfully.”
Talking about the previous encounter against Pakistan, the ace drag-flicker said it was good the youngsters have shaken off the nerves of playing against Pakistan. “There was a bit of nerves in the match against Pakistan.
“After their goal, there was a bit of panic, especially with some of the youngsters in the squad playing against them for the first time. While the focus tomorrow (Monday) will be on ourselves, it will be interesting to watch how Pakistan do against China,”
he said.